On January 4th, of 2022, Apple became the first company to be worth 3 trillion dollars. This means Apple is the most wealthy company in history, but how did they become so successful? Apple started in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and through the years they have become known as one of the most luxurious tech companies, even more than Google and Samsung. When apple released their iPhone in 2007 it revolutionized the smartphone market, but their technology is not what makes apple so special.

The trick with apple is the consumer’s experience is during, and after, purchasing a product. Apple uses their money in a much different way than other companies. Apple spends very little on marketing compared to other companies, instead they use the money on Apple stores. There are many Apple stores around the globe, and all of them have one thing in common: luxury. All Apple stores have a modern, sleek look compared to other companies. This gives Apple a prestine image.  Another feature of Apple’s stores is the Genius Bar, which is Apple’s costumer service system located in their stores. Genius bars have a very high satisfaction rate of 90%, which is higher than many other companies’ customer service. All of these factors give Apple a great reputation.

Apple uses a lot of unique and successful strategies to build a powerful brand. They control the market, and in some cases use their power on other companies. One example of this is text messages with phones that are not Apple. When an Apple user texts someone on a different operating system that person will show a green bubble, rather than a blue one. This is a subtel strategy to lock Apple users into an ecosystems of Apple products.

The strategies that Apple use make consumers think the price of their products are justified, when they could easily be seen as way too expensive. Speaking of expensive, Apple sells many more products than iPhones. These products include anything from phone cases to AirPods, the ladder of which are a very popular product. AirPods sell for almost 3 times as expensive as other, reliable earbuds. Many Apple users have bought AirPods because Apple removed the headphone ports from their iPhones.

Apple also has an easy to use UI when compared to other smartphone companies. Logan Chen said he thinks Apple is the best company for smartphones and he said, “It is easier to use in my opinion.” He also said Apple has more accessories that are useful to him. When I asked Brayden Becker which smartphone company he thinks is best he said, “Apple has the most friendly UI, and is very simple… For a normal UI anyone can use Apple.”

Apple has spent millions of dollars, and almost 50 years building a powerful and luxurious brand. They have also built a massive ecosystem of devices, and accessories that all work together. Apple is such a successful brand because of their reputation, and the unique areas they spend their money.